Penitent Feathers
Penitent Feathers (悔羽) is a short spin-off fanfic of "Saint Seiya: LostCanvas" (聖闘士星矢 THE LOST CANVAS 冥王神話). Also known as Cavaleiro Do Zodiaco (Portuguese; knights of the zodiac). In Spanish speaking nations, The LOST CANVAS is called "El lienzo perdido". Ideas/Creation & Concept While MGW preferred not to do fanfiction, and to only focus on Howl of Gray Wolf and its sequels, she felt inspired by the many fans of South America and Europe to do a short alternate telling of THE LOST CANVAS. She didn't want to attempt it until at least after finishing The LOST CANVAS comic, and watching some of the Hades Sanctuary OVA. MGW's wish was to make a study of a female Gold Saint. She thought of maintaining the physical features of the Clothhttp://mastergraywolf.livejournal.com/144964.html. MGW chose Sagittarius because its one of her favorite Cloths; plus, the impressions of the Sagittarius saints doesn't last long. Story Takes place around a time before The Holy War officially begins, which is when Hades fully takes his vessel Alone. Sagittarius Sisyphos was the man closest to Athena and a popular candidate for the position of Pope. While returning with the new vessel of Athena from Italy, he collapsed and disappeared. As if to pursue its owner, the Sagittarius Cloth takes the body of a new Saint. Valsylia, a female Saint and a former Silver Saint, was chosen by the stars to don the Gold Cloth and take on a test close to home. Characters ;Pavo Vasylia ♐ :Βασίλεια (approx Greek spelling) or Βασίλια :(孔雀座のヴァシーリイア; vashīrīa). Main character; called Val for short. Being under Sisyphos, she dons the Sagittarius after his disappearance. She struggles with her new fate, but also shows her conviction. She is a Christian and was raised in an orphanage after her parents were killed during Ottoman revolts. Her attacks are Golden Arrow of Sagittarius (射手座黄金の矢), Alnasl Bolt (アルナスルボルト) and Winnowing Epsilon (Winnow ε). Officially, she is the Pavo Saint. ;Virgo Asmita ♍ :(乙女座のアスミタ) A blind Saint who has internal doubts about Athena because of her upbringing. Virgo probes deeply into Valsylia and realizes her desire for unity, but at one time he questioned her character as a woman. ; Capricorn El Cid ♑ :(山羊座のエルシド) With Sisyphos, he is the just sword who investigated the Twin Gods, the councilors of Hades. After Sis's disappearance, he quietly follows Vasylia to find the answer behind it and the dark star over an orphanage. His attacks are Excalibur and Jumping Stone. ;Taurus Aldebaran ♉ :(牡牛座のアルデバラン) Real name is Hasgard (ハスガード). Punctual with a big heart. He jokes about his hair being long after Val decides to cut her. ;Sagittarius Sisyphos ♐ :(射手座のシジフォス) An intense researcher, and the founder of Athena's newest vessel, Sasha. He carries deep guilt for taking Athena (Sasha) away from her orphanage in Italy. Also called Sisyphe, Sisifo, and Sysyphos. ; Unicorn Yato :(一角獣星座の耶人) The student of Sisyphos. Mocking and impulsive boy who wants to be the hero. His Cloth is from the Monoceros constellation. ;Athena :(女神アテナ) The Goddess of War, wisdom, and justice. Approx couple centuries she reincarnates on Earth. In LOST CANVAS, a girl named Sasha (サーシ) is the vessel, but she is born among humans outside of the Sanctuary. Therefore, Sisyphos was sent to get her. ;Anna :(Ἄννα) Vaysylia's friend from Greek orphanage. A young girl who looks up to Val because of her big-hearted character. ;Marina :Nun of the orphanage. A senior. She looks over Val and Anna, among other children, like they were own. She practically raised Valsylia. Antagonists ;Mandrake (Mandragora) Fyodor, Frog Zelos, and Worm Raimi :(マンドレイクのヒョードル; フログのゼーロス; ワームのライミ) The Celestial Pain Star (天傷星) Mandrake Specter, Terrestrial Strange Star (地奇星) Frog Specter, and Terrestrial Concealment Star (地伏星) Worm Specter respectively are from canon. Fydor is exclusively from LOST CANVAS. Awakening, they attack the Greek orphanage of Marina and Anna. Raimi's attack is Worm Bind (ワームズバインド) and he has the ability to move and attack from underground; Fydor is Strangle Shrill (ストラングルシュリール) and he loves torture. Zelos is a comic relief character and stands on the sides to mock about the orphanage's destruction. He goads Gunnar into fighting the new Sagittarius Gold Saint. ;Impundulu Gunnar :(天殺星イムプンドゥルゥのグンナー) Original character. This Celestial Killing Star specter is the central antagonist of the short fanfic. He is capable of lightning attacks; 20 years old by the time of awakening. He fought both Sisyphos and Valsylia. Canon Terms Next to the English term is the Portuguese and Spanish term. ; Saint (Santo) :(聖闘士; セイント) The Kanji stands for "star warrior". A warrior of justice who fights for the Goddess Athena, and is guarded by one of the 88 constellations. The stars of each constellation serve as a vital point; in LOST CANVAS, every time a Saint died, his constellation faded from Hades's planetarium-like projection hall. The Saints boast superhuman ability and are divided into three classifications - Bronze (48), Silver (24), and Gold (12). The Gold Saints represent the Twelve Zodiac signs. Also, a Bronze's fist speed is Mach 1, while a Silver is Mach 2 - 5. Gold Saints are as fast as speed of light. ;Cloth :(聖衣; クロス) Kanji stands for "star robe". The protective armor (armadura) of the Saint, modelling its constellation. Offensive and defensive ability increases, but a Cloth becomes a heavy piece of armor when there is a low cosmos surge, or can reject the wearer. There are three Saint cloths: Bronze (青銅聖衣; ブロンズクロス）、Silver, (白銀聖衣; シルバークロス）、Gold (黄金聖衣; ゴールドクロス）. The Cloths are also called Vestidura Sagrada (holy garment) or Manto Sagrado (holy cloak). ;Cosmos :(小宇宙; コスモ) The Kanji stands for "microcosm" or "galaxy". Cosmos are the internal energy within Saints burn and utilized in battle. It is proportional to spiritual strength and concentration. Also, blocking the five senses can enlarges cosmo. ;Holy War (La Guerra Santa) :(聖戦) An intense battle that happens every several hundred years where Athena faces her greatest foe, particularly the Kind of the Underworld Hades. ;Specter (Espectro) :(冥闘士; スペクター) Kanji stands for "dead warrior". The 108 warriors of Hades, King of the Underworld. Inspired by the novel Shui Hu Zhuan (水滸傳), commonly known as as "Water Margin", the specters are divided into "Celestial Stars" (天星) and "Terrestrial Stars" (地星). ;Surplice :(冥衣; サープリス) Kanji stands for "dead robe". The shiny, black armors of the underworld primarily worn by the Specters. When dead saints are revived by Hades, they wear an imitation surplice of the cloths worn during lifetime. ;Pope Hall (Cámara del Patriarca) :(教皇の間) The place where the the commander of the Saints reside. Furthermore, only the Pope is allowed to enter Star Hill (スターヒル) where he observes the stars and the fate of chosen saints. Also called Pope Chamber. ;Sanctuary (santuario) :(聖域; サンクチュアリ) The place where Athena and her Saints live and train. Located in Greece. ;Twelve Zodiac Temples (Las Doce Casas; the Twelve Houses) :(黄金十二宮) Before the Pope Hall and Ahtena's Temple are palaces named after the twelve zodiac constellations. A Gold Saint guards each one. List of Chapters ;Prologue :To express her humbleness towards Athena, Valsylia cuts her hair to neck-length level. She ascends the twelve houses. ;Chapter 1 - Virgo House :Val is given a mission from the Pope and heads through the Twelve Houses. She particularly rushes through the sixth house, which is guarded by Virgo Asmita. A curious Asmita questions her motives of being unmasked and "defiant", as he notices a conflicting star within her constellation. ;Chapter 2 - Monsters :A charred crater appears in a Greek village, and destruction happens. Specters Worm Raimi and Mandrake Fyodor attack the village, including Marina, submitting against their attacks until Val arrives. After the Specters defeat, another appears. ;Chapter 3 - Impundulu :Gunnar challenges Valsylia, and his frustration increases as he is reminded of the other Sagittarius Saint that he presumably killed. ;Chapter 4 - Sysyphos :Sysyphos and the girl named Sasha. ;Chapter 5 - Despaired Wings :Protecting Anna, Vasylia is struck by Omen Lightning and is mocked for her kindness. Winnow ε strikes, but its power is subdued by a new Specter. ;Chapter 6 - Rightful Sword :Rightful sword El Cid appears, staring forward to find some truth. ;Chapter 7 - Salvation :??? ;Ending - Pavo and the Starry Sky :N/A Techniques Reception/Criticism As of December 2015, on Fanfiction.net, Penitent Feathers is the second most viewed story of MGW. It also had the most Favorites back in March 2014, but was beaten out by Seiya Ω: Dawn of End; it remains in TOP 3 in Favorites and Alerts. The story only received reviews on AO3, stating that Asmita and Valsylia are likable, and how characters, garments, and surroundings are described very well. Sagittarius Compatibility In original notes, all of the Gold Saints were going to take part in the story, but ended up being only Virgo, Sagittarius, Taurus and Capricorn. MGW created a "compatibility outline" as an idea on how the canon characters would approach the original MC. ; Aries :Brave Shion, who can hear the voices of the Cloth, respects the conviction of even female Saint. He cannot forgive Hades. ; Taurus :Alderbaran (Hasgard) is a person looked up to because of his strong heart. ; Gemini :The former Gemini Saint is considered a traitor and the Pope's near assassination teaches not to carry malice in the body. ; Cancer :Manigoldo's sarcastic and abrasive behavior clashes with Vasylia's forward thinking. ; Leo :Regulas is like a little brother and easily liked because of positive behavior. Still, Sagittarius thinks Leo needs to think some things through. ; Virgo :The man closest to God is Asmita, who became disturbed by even Athena's human growth. He probes into the sins of women and inspects Sagittarius. ; Libra :Dohko shares the same sense of justice. ; Scorpio :Kardia enjoys battle and is jokingly sadistic. In the Cosmos, the bow and arrow is aimed towards' Scorpio's red hot heart in the east. Is tension expected? ; Sagittarius :Former master; the centaur constellation seems to give off a bad presence. Is the new Gold Saint feeling unstable? ; Capricorn :El Cid was a close friend of Sagittarius Sisyphos of LOSTCANVAS. It is truly fate; their stars are sided together after all. Both understand that there is something they want to hone for justice, and that they care about disciples. ; Aquarius :An intelligent man, cool Degel is a figure of insight and judgement. His faith is strong for all Saints. ; Pisces :Distant because he lives the life of a lonely, poisonous rose. But there is respect? A native of Sweden, Albafica calls her a Shield Maiden. Trivia *The technique Willowing Epsilon is based on the Kaus Australis, the brightest star of the Sagittarius Constellation, and one of the four Sagittarius stars of the Winnowing Basket Chinese constellation. *In the Chinese constellation, Winnowing Basket is a part of the Blue Dragon zodiac (Seiryu, Qīng Lóng). *Alnasl is the third star of Sagittarius (γ Sagittarii; Gamma Sagittarii) and is at the tip of the teapot, depicted as the tip of an archer's arrow. In Arabic, al-naşl means arrowhead. Alnasl is also one of the Winnowing Basket stars. *A winnowing basket was used to remove grain from chaff using the wind. See Also *Calm before the Sword Links/References *黄金聖闘士　Gold Saint LOST CANVAS (Japanese) *Espanol Saint Seiys WIKIA: LOST CANVAS (Spanish) *Heaven and Earth (more on Constellations) Category:Fanfiction Works Category:Mythology Category:Fantasy Category:Videos Category:Saint Seiya